Meaning of Specifications Part I

The specification sheet – work guide for the client

The term requirement specification includes the sum of all requirements of the client to the contractor across all industries . It is preferably used or used in quality and project management .

The formally correct procedure stipulates that the client creates the specifications according to his ideas and specifications. The contractor describes the resulting tasks and obligations as burdens. For the client, it is the basis for an invitation to tender , for example for a project. The specifications for deliveries and services of the potential contractor are described and defined.

A good specification sheet defines the basic requirements without going into every detail. That sounds easier than it is. On the one hand, both parties have to set a framework. On the other hand, the future contractor must have sufficient leeway and opportunity to reverse this specification sheet to formulate a functional specification.

Requirement specification vs. requirement specification

According to Ezhoushan, the counterpart to the specification is the specification . On the part of the contractor, it contains concrete proposed solutions on how the specifications and requirements of the client can and should be implemented. In this sense, the specification sheet and the functional specification are a joint. One cannot be done without the other; only both together is the basis for the subsequent contract . Both the specification sheet and the specification sheet are included as part of the contract. The functional specification solves the requirements described in the specification in a professional manner.

A summary of this results in the decision of the client to award his contract to this or at least to that applicant or contractor. You can also describe the connection between the requirement specification and the functional specification as a first scan of two possible contractual partners. First you create the specification sheet as a requirement profile and only then does the specification sheet follow as a proposal for fulfilling the requirements. With a single specification sheet, however, the client can at best receive several or many specification sheets from interested parties who are interested in accepting an order.

Structure and content of the specification sheet

There is currently no legal definition or binding regulation for the term specification sheet or the content. However, content has emerged that is used uniformly across all industries.

They include:

• Goal definition and goal setting
• intended purpose and use of the project result
• a concrete overview of the expected performance
• necessary functions [from a technical point of view]
• all relevant technical data such as performance, dimensions, weights … ..
• contractual conditions [partial services, warranty requirements, risk management , … ..]
• specific requirements for the contractor [references, certification, … ..]
• Dedicated requirements for the contractor’s project management [documentation, monitoring, controlling ]
• Quality requirements for the usability of the project result
• … .. further project-specific additions

The contents of the specification sheet are both the representation of the current status quo as well as the description of the objectives of the overall project. Any interfaces and responsibilities are named as clearly and precisely as possible. The functional requirements, which are also defined, include the type and extent of maintenance and use as well as user login, reliability and acceptance criteria along with the associated quality requirements.

DIN specification for the content of the specifications

The DIN 69901 applies in the field of project management for project management. A DIN is the standard developed under the direction of a working committee at DIN, the German Institute for Standardization . The DIN 69901 is in five categories divided up. In the fifth and last DIN part, DIN 69901-5, the structure of the specifications and the functional specification is described. As a result, every requirement specification records the economic, technical and organizational expectations of the client and gives the potential contractor a first impression of the expected scope of the order. In this respect, the specifications can be the basis of contract negotiations, but it can also only be the working or discussion basis for a simple request from interested parties to the client. So that he can make specific statements, he must be able to refer to the previously drawn up specifications. Conversely, the future contractor assumes that the information and information given to him will be given on the basis of an existing specification sheet.

An example of the specifications

This content structure corresponds to the requirements of DIN 69901-5 for a specification sheet. It is specifically geared towards the award of a contract in the technical area and, in this respect, can be used multiple or multiple times.

Preamble [introduction]

• Definition of the purpose and aim of the specification sheet
• Project description and project reference
• Legend [Abbreviations, … ..]
• Recipients

Project concept and framework conditions

• Objective of the client based on the specifications
• Usability by the contractor as the user of the specifications
• Requirements for system applicability
• Existing and future resources